Car-dumping apparatus.



G. H. WRIGHT & H. E. SCOTT.

' GAR DUMPING APPARATUS.

APPLIUATION FILED APR. 1. 1909. 932,529 Patented Aug. 31. 1909.

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BV g3 d 4% G. H. WRIGHT & H. E. SCOTT.

OAR DUMPING'APPARATUS.

APILIGATION FILED APB.1. 1909.

Patented Aug. 31. 1909.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

y ATTORNEY wlmsssrs;

G. H. WRIGHT 8:; H. E. SCOTT.

GAR DUMPING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED APR.1, 1909.

Patented Aug. 31, 1909.

5 SHEETS-SHBET 3.

GENE).

0 H. WRIGHT & H. E. SCOTT.

GAR DUMPING APPARATUS AEILIOATION FILBD-APR.1. 1909.

WITNESSES.

' 0. H. WRIGHT & H. E. $00131.

GAR DUMPING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APR.1, 1909.

Patented Aug. 31, 5 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

Wroag B QR IX; ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT ornron.

CHARLES H. WRIGHT AND-HARRY SCOTT, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNORS TO THE BROWN HOISTING MACHINERY COMPANY, OFCLEVELAND, OHIO.

CAR-DUMPING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Alug. 31, 1909.

Application filed April 1 1909. Serial No. 487,336.

and llaluiv 1*), Seoul, citizens of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State, of Ohio, have in 'vented a new and useful Improvement in Car-Dumping Apparatus, of which we hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings as a part of the specification, wherein the same parts are designated by the same letters in each instance.

Said imprtwcment relates more especially. to the class of mechanical instruments de-' signed forjthe unloading of railway cars of gross cargoes,such as ore, coal, 11me-stone,

and similar bulky or granular matter, by overturning the. car before and along the nyouth of a chute, or apron, that leads to a vessel or other receptacle below. I t As is well understood the class of apparatus in question is more generally employed upon docks and for the loading of vessels .fivhere it-is desirable to utilize the entire dock-front, both because of the value of the land and space involved, and, because the weight vof material, in a given apparatus, and the consequent primary cost, is, to an important degree dependent upon its propinquity to such front. So,- also, in order to be clear of the rigging of passing vessels, and eonfori'n to United States regulations on the. subject, the extension apron usually employed must be so related to its support-- ing tower that, when the apparatus is idle, such apron may be retracted close to orentircly ,within the dock-line.

It'is the puipose of the present invention to provide an unloading apparatus of the type above referred to, that, in addition to other new and advantageous features, by reasonof the novel manner of its construction and mode of action, may be built and tiperated closer to afdock-line than existing devices of the sort, and without unduly projecting beyond such line at any time, 'or'in anynmnner offending government requirements in the connection.

In the drawings Figure '1 is a side view of the apparatus in operative'position. Fig. 2 :is a similar view, when inoperative, and with the apron raised. Fig. 3 is a front view of the apparatus, 'th e apron and lower r frame-work not. being showm Fig. 4 is a sectional plan'view, between thelines g y and as of Fig. 2 of the supporting framework of the apron or discharge chute, with the latter removed. Fig. 5 is a partial or semi-downward view of certain structural details at the top of said frame-work. Fig. 6 is an end view of a special cradle arrangement with a car within the same in position for clampin line agar, of Fig. 1 of a portion of the aprongirder as connected with its supporting post, and of a corresponding portion of the cradle related thereto, in operative position, and, Fig. 8, is an end View of said apron-girder,

a cradle-stop and the cradle, itself, in position for dumping the car-load.

The apparatus, as a whole, is characterized by the usual frame work tower A, made up of'the four corner-posts A A A A, and the requisite braces to render the same stable, the rear' corner posts A, and A, being inclined inwardly from their bases toward the front of the structure. The front posts A and A are vertical, and carry upright grooves g g on their inner opposite faces, and all four posts are held together at the top by suitable cross-girders, a and a that connect, respectively, the front and rear pairs of posts, and a and. a that connect the two side pairs. Said girders,except a, are fastened directly to their posts, but, the connection of a to' its pair of posts is made, indirectly, by fastening its ends to the crossgirderso and a", at a point thereon to the rear of the front posts A and A so that said girder a shall be set back from the front of the lower A, for the special purpose that will hereinafter appear. Said posts are rigidly affixed, at their lower ends, to any suitable foundation provided for the purpose. The structural arrangement of the tower A, as a whole, is such that-the entire front of said tower below the cross-girder a,

and its interior are free from any parts orpieces, so as to be clear to receive therein the cradle and apron, hereinafter described, and theiroperative connections. Located upon the cross-girder a,-'is an"'eleva'ted A- frame arrangement made up of-the two legs L and L fastened, at their lower ends, re-

' spectively, to said cross-girder-near its ends,

and joined together at their upper ends, by an intermediate yoke or casting Y. Parallel girder-sup )orting rods R and it extend vertically rom points near the apex of said Fig. 7 is a plan .view on the I cradle, 0,

if; a rectangular frameework,composed of side .b'eams'l and I A-fraine, to said girder Sheaves S,

a, to which they are there connected. A back-stay L extends downwardly at the rear of said A frame between the apex and the cross-girder a. S, for the hoisting ropes'of the apron or chute are located 1n said yoke. Within said tower 'is the usual L-shaped provided, upon its horizontal pora platform P for the reception of be unloaded. Said platform P is tion with the car to and a ser1es of cross-beams z, e', arranged, 1n the figures in five pairs therethrough with a suitable floor f', above nd upon the same. Parallel T-rails, for the ar, extend lengthwise of the platform. Be-

ljtw'e'en the parallel members of the first, third and-fifth of said pairs of cross-beams 2',

'. ,-form,

. arranged,in sets of two, are shown upright eye-bars E, E, pivotally connected, by the ins p, p, through their eyes, to' the cradle below, and at their upper ends, to said plat-' at points thereon slightly off the vertical and toward the side of the cradle. I11

bers of the second and a like manner; between the parallel memfourth of said pairs of cross-beams 2', pivotally connected to said of eye-bars E nected at their cradle and platform,

. tarding springs or bumpers B, B, to check .lateral motion of the car and platform when the latter is free to move upon said supporting bars. Clamping-bars D and D are located at intervals, on each side of the cradle, to engage the car and hold it firmly in position on the rails during the overturning movement. In the drawings, these clamping-bars are at different intervals. In this instance the clamps D are in the form of upright hooks'movably located in and through apertures in the horizontal portion of the cradle. They are of suitable length to project below the cradle, and to come into bearing against foundation stops 8 beneath the same when the cradle is lowered, and, by

the further descent of the cradle, to become thereby disengaged from the car. The clamps D are suitably related to the cradle to become disengaged therefrom, in a like manner, when, on lowering the cradle, said I clamps encounter their-*stopss, but by rea son of the special sheave relation and attachmode'of action is somethat of the clamps D. The clamps D, instead of being loosel fitted in and through the cradle, like the I gential to the scores clamps D, are connected thereto by the forked brackets M) which extend laterally from the cradle toward the rear of the tower A. Said forks straddle the clamps D and carry pins and axles 0, which pass through longitudinal slots 2, in the clamps D, and a slieavcm, located between said forks.

As will appear more clearly, when the operative system of which the sheave. m is a part is considered, this arrangement results in a. downward vertical movement of the clamp D during which 11' also pivots around 0, inwardly toward the cradle and reversc'ly, of course, when the cradle is lowered. This in aid movement and tendency of the clamps D, by reason of the horizontal or side component in such direction due to .its rope and sheave-system, referred to, is

controlled and regulated by providing on the exterior edge or back ot-D below said slot t, a roller (1, between the forked brackets I), in bearing against a block (2 provided for the purpose. Said block is given a bearing surface for said roller that is vertical against the same, whenthe clamp l) is upright, and

resting on the stop a, but which recedes or.

inclines outwardly and downwardly therefrom, at a suitable angle and contour to allow said clamp D to yield to said horizontal component tendency, and around 0, toward and above a said platform, when the cradle ascends, but. to depress the lower end, or shorter arm of said'pivotcd plump-bur D, and withdraw its upper or clamping end away from such car when said bar is lowered to '1 bearing ongagement with the stop a.

To serve in actuating the clan'ips l) and l), in their clamping functions, we locate sheaves, m, m, on the clamps l), at a point sonu-zwhat above the horizontal portion of car, upon the cradle (J, and, sheaves m) at like points pivot inwardly Hit) on the clamps 1), above the pivotal points of the latter. In the same vertical plane with each opposite pair of these sheaves, in. m, below and between the same, upon said portion of the cradle, are also located oppd site sheaves m" and in. On the front of the cradle, at about the same elevation thereon, as m, are diagonally located sheaves m, and at either side thereof near the posts A and A respectively, and, in the same plane, one with the other, are sheaves m m. These sheaves should correspond in number with the mnnbcr of pairs of clamps D and'D used at intervals along the cradles side.

Near the upper portion of thecradle C are located .upon shafts K that project laterally from the ends of the cradle for the purpose, a number of sheaves m corresponding with the sheaves m, in such position that a vertical line from their scores will be tanof the sheaves m mm below. In the same plane as the sheaves m, near the top of thetower A, and at the rear thereof, are a similar number of sheaves m? m thereby completmg the sheave system for clamping the several pairs of clamps D and beam, which, through the castings M, slidably engages the front corner posts A and A' within the up and down grooves g, g, on the inner sides of said posts. The beam is controlled in its vertical movements, by the hanger-rods H, H, that'support the-beam from the cross-girder a a and, the wormwheel arrangements W, for the purpose. Said parts M, are hook-like castings, attached in upright positions to each end of the beam. At thetop and bottom of the same are block-like projections M of suitable dimensions to enter said grooves g g at a working fit. An apron or discharging chute U, is hinged to said beam at a. It is of the usual form, in such connections, having a broad open mouth that extends across the front of the tower A, and gradually tapers toward its discharging or outer end. In. the

drawings said apron is shown as hoisted and lowered, around its hinged connection to the beam M, and supported at given angles with respect to the same, by the rope F, that pulls around and from a point N beneath the outer end of the chute, and, which, after the multiplication indicated, is reeved over a. sheave Sin the A-frame arrangement at the top of the tower A, and is thence carried downward to a source of power 0.

For accomplishing the several intended movements of the cradle, ropesiT '1 (here preferably indicated as double) are attached at each end of said cradle near the top, and thence are led downwardly around the same, up and through the tower A, around sheaves J and J, at the top, and thence down and around a pair of sheaves J, which are connected to the shafts K by the links K. Said ropes are then led up and around sheaves J and J" and downwardly to a source of power 0. i From points at the top and at the front and through the score of said sheaves, and each passing under and around a sheave m, extends inwardly to the sheaves m, in each case, upwardly around the sheaves m in' the several sheave-systems,

in each end of the tower, in planes, respectively, of the sheaves m m ropes V V pass donmwardly described, to resist the tendency of the car to leave the rails 1, while being overturned in the process of unloading.

A loaded car being brought upon the platform l, within the tower, the ropes T, 'l, are now wound in toward the source of power at O, which will raise the cradle upwardly along the grooves'g', g until' the trunnion-blocks G (i, encounter the hooklike castings M M, which then serve as pivots to the cradle (l, and the latter under the continued pull of the ropes T T, is there- .upon overturned, and its lead dumped into the adjacent apron or chute. "It will be seen that, in the meantime, inasmuch as the plat.- form supporting eyebars E and E" are off the vertical, as soon as the cradle is lifted, the platform 1 and the car will be carried by the parallel motion of said bars toward the side of the'cradle with the car in a firm position for overturning against the side, and, also, that the car, in its progress upward, will have engaged the clamps l) and I) and raised them fromtheir foundation stops s and 8', whereby the counterweights X X, through their rope and sheave-systcms explained, will at once firmly secure them to such engagements.

Upon an unloading being effected, as just stated, the ropes T T are unwound, where upon the cradle will right itself around said pivotal points and descend through the tower until the cradle rests upon the foundations Q, Q, at the base of the same. Before this point is reached by the cradle-the lower ends of theclamps I) and I) will meet the stops 8 and s, and as the cradle descends along their lengths the car willbe withdrawn from beneath their hooks, and the clamps themselves will assume upright positions at the platt'orms sides. After the clamps l) and l) are thus released, the rollers l.l7, will encounter their special foundations s .v, and by reversing said' parallel motion through the bell-crank arms E the platform will be forced back to its normal position. a

In order to witln'lran the apron or chute U within the tower and behind the front of .sion is not an essential part of our apparatus,

but it must of course be itself collapsed to a proper extent, before the chute is withdrawn within the tower as just described.

' Having now described our invention as until the beam M5 LOO ' therein, that also serve for the c 'adle when rotated, in such engageapplied in concrete apparatus or arrangement, what we claim and wish to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a car-dumping apparatus, the combination of a frame-work 01' tower, a cradle therein, a car-receiving platform thereon, supported by upright bars pivoted to said cradle and platform, respectively, in transverse pairs,'s1iitable means for holding a car on said platform, and for raising the cradle, within the tower, to an engagement with suitable I stops therein, that also serve as pivotal bearings for the cradle when rotated, in such engagement, outwardly from said tower, together with suitable means of rotating said car when in said position, outwardly from said car, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a car-dumping apparatus, the combination of a framework or tower, a cradle therein, a car-receiving platform thereon, supported by upright bars pivoted to said cradle and platform, intransverse pairs, at points on the same that are off the vertical, suitable means for holding a car on said plat-- form, and for raising the cradle within the tower, to an engagement with suitable stops therein, that also serve as pivotal bearings for the cradle when rotated, in such engageanent outwardly from said tower, together \vith suitable means of rotating said car when in said position, outwardly from said air, substantially as shown and described.

3. In a car-dumping apparatus, the combination of a frame-work or tower, a cradle therein, a car-receiving platform thereon, supported b, upright bars pivoted to said cradle and platform, in transverse pairs, at points on the same that are oil the vertical, suitable. means for holding a car on said platform, and for raising the cradle, within the tower, to an engagement with suitable stops as pivotal bearings ment outwardly from said tower, together with suitable means of respectively rotating said car when in said position, (mtwardly' from said car, and of holding said platform against lateral motion on its supporting bars, when said cradle is at its normal position atthe base of the tower, substantially as shown and described. i

4. In a car-dumping apparatus, the combination of a tower, having an open or clear space at the front side of the same, a horizontal beam vertically movable at said side, a chute or apron hinged to said beam, a cradle within said tower, suitable means for, respectively, holding a car thereon, raising and lowering the cradle within" the tower .and rotating the same outwardly toward holding said car on said platsaid side, form during said operation, raising and loweringsaid beam vertically of said sideand'for raising and lowering said chute or apron around its hinged connection to said beam, substantially as shown and described.

5. In a car-dumping apparatus, the combination of a tower having an open or clear space at the front side of the same, a horizontal beam vertically movable at said side, a chute or apron hinged to said beam, a cradle within said tower, suitable means for, respectively, holding a car thereon, raising and lowering the cradle within the tower and rotating the same outwardly toward said side, holding said car on said platform dur-f mg said operation, raising and lowering said beam vertically of said side and for 'aising and lowering said chute or apron around its hinged connection to said beam to within said open space, substantially as shown and described.

6. In a car-dumping apparatus having a tower with an open or clear space at one side thereof, and a vertically movable apron or chute transversely of said side and pivotall'y connected thereto, the combination of an elevated sheave-supporting frame-work orstructure, on the top of said tower, set back of the vertical plane of the points of said pivotal connection of the apron or chute, so as to allord a clear space above said connections into which said apron or chute, or a portion thereof, may be retracted or withdrawn, when said beam has been lowered across said side, substantially as shown and described.

7. In a car-dumping apparatus having a tower. with an open or clear space at one. side thereof, and a vertically movable apron or chute transversely of said side and pivotally connected thereto, the combination of an elevated A-frame arrangement or structure to support sheaves for the hoisting rope of the apron or chute, on the top of said tower, set back of the vertical plane of the points of said pivotal connections of the apron or chute so as to atl'ord a clear space above said connections into which said apron or chute, or a portion thereof, may be retracted or witlnlrawn, when said beam has been lowered across said side, substantially as shown and described.

8. In a car-dumping apparatus having a tower with an open or clear space at one side thereof, and a vertically movable apron or chute transversely of said side and pivotally connected thereto, the combination of a forward transverse girder, above said space, set back of the vertical plane of the points of said pivotal connections, so as to afford a clear space above said connections into which a portion of the apron or chute may be drawn, and an elevated A-frame arrangement or structure on said girder, providcdnear its top-with sheaves for the hoisting rope of said apron" or chute, substantially as shown and described.

9. In a car-dumping apparatus having a frame-work or tower, a cradle therein for the ear to be unloaded, and suitable means for raising and lowering the same, the con hinatien of a series of relticalty movable clamps for such ear, extending through and below said cradle, atone side thereof, and. a second series of similarclainps pivot-ally connected to said erndle at its other side through longitudinal slots in the Sflllll,'1(t1)0 and sheare-systeius, suitably connected to said tower, rradlm and clamps, to, severally, tend t0 pull saidx-lamps dmrnvardly, and said second series inwardly around 'their pivots, when actuated by eounterweights 0peratively connected to said systems for the 15 purpose, together with downwardly receding bearing pieces for the ineinbers'of said second series of clamps connected to said cradle belew said pivotal connections in each case, substantially .as shown and de- 20 scribed.

CHAR-LES H. WRIGHT. HARRY F. SCOTT. In. the presence 0f- I \VM. .H. SMITH, L. .PQLIPPs. 

